W&L MEN'S LACROSSE RANKED SIXTH IN FACEOFF PRESEASON POLL

Three-time defending national champion Middlebury College sits
atop the poll with 64 first-place votes. Two-time NCAA runner-up
Gettysburg received nine first place votes and is second, followed
by Washington College, Salisbury, Cortland, W&L, Ithaca,
Hampden-Sydney, Whittier and Nazareth. Lynchburg was the only other
ODAC team in the Top 20 as the Hornets garnered a No. 13
ranking.

W&L returns eight starters from its 2002 squad which went
14-4 overall, won the ODAC Tournament Championship, and advanced to
the NCAA Semifinals. Leading the way are two returning
All-Americans in senior captains Tom Melanson (Baltimore,
Md./Loyola) and Matt Conners (Burke, Va./Robinson).

A midfielder, Melanson has scored 26 career points on 18 goals
and eight assists, and has won nearly 69 percent of faceoffs during
his three seasons.

As a defenseman, Conners has helped W&L rank among the Top 5
in Division III in scoring defense during each of his three
seasons.